Terms and Conditions

Our standard opening hours are 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, 50 weeks of the year.

We close on bank holidays, the period between Christmas and New Year and for up to 5 days training. You will be notified of these in advance in our newsletter and yearly planner.

Collection of children.

Children should be collected promptly. If you are going to be late collecting your child, the nursery must be telephoned and a charge of £7.50 for the first 15 minutes will be added, then £5.00 for all subsequent 15 minute blocks entered in to.

For security reasons, children can only be collected by the authorised contacts provided on the registration form; changes must be provided in writing and any new contacts introduced to a member of staff. Children cannot leave the premises with an unauthorised person, any person we believe to be under the age of 16 years, or a person who appears unfit to care for a child. It is advised that you ask anyone collecting your child to bring photographic ID with them.

Health and Safety.

The Olive Tree operates the highest standards of hygiene.

Please can you ensure that all bottles and other food or drink containers are clearly named. All meals and snack are provided by The Olive Tree Nursery under SDC and SCC guidelines.

The Olive Tree is legally obliged to follow the Statutory Requirements as set by OFSTED. We have an obligation to protect a child from any form of abuse or neglect. In any suspected instance the nursery would contact Somerset Direct.

Lost property.

Parents are requested to clearly label all their children’s clothing and any other items brought in from home to help avoid loss. The Olive Tree does not accept any responsibility for lost / damaged property.

Policies and Procedures.

Parents are welcome to view all policies and procedures by which the nursery operates. On signing up to The Olive Tree Nursery parents are issued a USB with all nursery policies and procedures on. It is parent’s responsibility to ask at reception for any updates.

Nursery Fees

How are nursery fees collected?

Invoices are raised at the end of each month, this is then payable by the 15th of the month. You may pay by Cash, Debit Card, Credit Card (A £2.50 charge will apply), Childcare Vouchers or Online Banking. You may wish to set up a Standing Order, however please note that fees may vary monthly. Fees not paid and cleared by the 15th of the month will incur a charge of £20.00.

Unpaid fees are always pursued via the County court and the nursery reserves the right to terminate a child’s place in the event of persistent late payment or non- payment of fees.

When are fees reviewed?

Fees may be adjusted at any time throughout the year, when this happens they will usually be held for a period of twelve months.

What happens if my child is ill?

Children should not attend nursery if they are suffering from sickness, diarrhoea, an infectious illness or have any unspecific rashes {until diagnosed by a doctor}

Our Exclusion Periods as recommended by the department of public health are as follows can be found here PLEASE NOTE THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTED, If a child suffers from an illness not mentioned The Olive Tree Nursery will inform you of their exclusion period

A child must have 48 hours clear of all symptoms of sickness and/or diarrhoea before returning to nursery. The nursery reserves the right to refuse attendance and request a second opinion on a medical issue.

If a child becomes ill while at nursery, a parent will be telephoned immediately to tell them of their child’s illness and asked to collect them. If parents cannot be contacted another authorised contact will be called. If necessary, the child’s GP will be called. In the event of an emergency, the child will be taken to the nearest hospital, accompanied by a senior member of staff, who will act in ‘loco parentis’ until a parent arrives.

Prescribed medication is only given with parental written permission, in accordance to our Medication Policy and current government guidelines. If a child has to receive regular medication whilst at nursery, full written details must be provided, and the medication clearly marked with the child’s name and dosage instructions. Forms must still be filled in and signed for as required. Parents are required to inform staff if any medication had been administered before attending The Olive Tree Nursery.

Increase in Sessions.

Should you wish to increase the number of sessions please inform a member of the management team in writing on our Alteration of hours form, and your request will be accommodated as soon as a space is available.

Parents often require an occasional session in addition to their booked place. Should you require an extra session please inform a member of the management team on the Alteration of hours form, who will do their best to accommodate the request. Occasionally we are asked if a session can be ‘swapped’, unfortunately we are unable to accommodate this type of request.

Reduction of sessions.

Should you wish to reduce the number of sessions a child attends one month’s written notice is required.

Should a parent wish to defer the start once a place has been confirmed half fees are payable until the new start date.

If you do not use your EYE to cover your notice period full fees will be payable.

Notice of termination.

We require four weeks written notice when you wish to terminate your child’s place at the nursery.

The Olive Tree Nursery reserves the right to terminate a child’s place with immediate effect if any of the terms and conditions are breached. Children’s personal files will remain the property of The Olive Tree Nursery until all fees are paid in full.

Changes to Personal Information.

Please can you notify The Olive Tree of any changes to personal information, such as address, contact numbers or emergency contacts as soon as possible by completing and dating a new registration form. We may ask you to complete regular update forms to ensure all information we have is correct. These forms must be completed and returned no later than the specified date.

Child Care Vouchers.

The nursery is able to take Child Care Vouchers. A member of the management team will be able to give you information on how to redeem them.

Please speak to your employer about the Child Care Voucher Schemes

Securing a place at The Olive Tree Nursery.

If we have a place available, we will accommodate your request as soon as possible. If not we will add your name to our waiting list, and keep you informed about availability. To request a place you need to complete the registration form and return it to the nursery. We will then either, confirm in writing or via a phone call a date for your child to start nursery or confirm your name on our waiting list. Once your place has been confirmed we will need to book in a minimum of three settling in visits.

Do I get a refund if my child cannot attend nursery?

If your child is off sick, away on holiday or if the nursery closes due to ‘acts of god’ or environmental factors beyond our control, we cannot offer a refund. However you will not be charged for Training days, Bank Holiday and Christmas Closure.

Data Protection / Fair Processing Statement.

The Olive Tree Nursery is a Data controller for purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. This Act regulates how we obtain, use and retain information about individuals.

The information you supply to The Olive Tree Nursery is being collected for the purpose of providing you and your child/ren with a service. When you sign or complete a form at nursery or give us information about you and your child/ren you are providing consent to The Olive Tree Nursery processing your personal information for the purpose of delivering childcare to you and your family. Any information provided will not be retained for any longer than is required for that purpose.

Any information we hold will only be shared with your knowledge, the exception to this being in any suspected instance of abuse, the nursery would contact Somerset Direct.

Communication.

The Olive Tree Nursery uses a range of communication methods to ensure that parents/carers are kept informed and up to date with our nursery community. Newsletters will be available each month from reception. We keep up to date information on the Nursery notice boards, we also have The Olive Tree nursery app where parents can receive push notifications and access our calendar. We also have an active social media account that is kept private and for the sole use of nursery parents.

Social Media and Technological Communication.

The Olive Tree Nursery also has a Facebook group “The Olive Tree Nursery parent’s page”, we will use this to give you regular updates and information such as closure days, ‘snow days’ and nursery events.

The Olive Tree Nursery also uses a system called Nursery Manager we can then use this system to keep you informed by either text or email. Parental participation in their child’s learning is important. To enable this we actively encourage families to share events, achievements and learning via ‘Keepy’ (A free interactive app) and termly/half termly email updates on ‘What To Expect When’.

It is a parents/carers responsibility to ensure that the Nursery has up to date contact information for all communication methods to be successful.

If you wish to discuss personal communication preferences then feel free to speak to your keyworker.

Suggestions, Comments and Concerns.

If you would like to share your views and thoughts on The Olive Tree Nursery and the service that you have received forms are available from a member of the management team’s office, or you may wish to speak to your Child’s Keyworker or a member of the management team direct.

If you wish to contact The Olive Tree in writing the address and contact details are below.

The Olive Tree Nursery

Westonzoyland Road

Bridgwater

TA6 5HT

01278 457581

theolivetreenursery@yahoo.co.uk

If you do not feel that your views have been dealt with appropriately then you may wish to contact OFSTED on the details below.